QUINN's BLOG on the PGA Website, Click on the First
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QUINN’S BLOG on the PGA website, click on The First Tee Thursday, Sept. 29th, 2011 When I first arrived, The First Tee hosted a breakfast with Curtis Strange and Jeff Sluman. They talked about what great opportunities The First Tee gives to young men and women. I can’t agree more, as I am one of the fortunate young men getting a chance to be a PGA TOUR Course Reporter at the SAS Champions Tour event in Cary, NC. After breakfast, we then went to the Media Center and I received my media badge and was transformed into a Course Reporter. The credentials of the media badge allowed me to go behind the ropes, in the big semi-trailers and talk directly to the golfers. The first stop along the way was in the Training Facility where I met with Hank Haney. I asked him what his craziest teaching experience was, and as you probably guessed, he replied, “That would be Charles Barkley”. For all the years I have attended professional golf tournaments, I always wondered what was in those big semi-trailers. I used to imagine that they were places for the players to sleep. I was so wrong. The first trailer was club repair. It contained all the equipment, machines and supplies to repair players clubs on demand. From replacing a grip to changing a shaft to replacing a club head, it is all right there on site for the Champions Tour players. Mark Brooks was in the trailer working on his own clubs, and a little later, Ben Crenshaw drove up in his cart and needed a couple clubs re-gripped before tomorrow’s big event. The next trailer was a huge shock! I opened the door to a tricked out gym, the ultimate man cave. Here I met Kent Biggerstaff, the trainer in the Fitness Center. He keeps busy throughout the day as players stop by for pre-game warm up routines and workouts. He showed me some amazing balance exercises that focus on building your core strength. Yeah, try standing on a Bosu ball and swing a club, better yet, all while standing on only one foot. The third trailer was the technology mecca of the SHOTLink team. Here Cory Konrad provided me a tour of the systems and devices that are used to track every shot in real time. They now use these really cool Trimble wireless handheld devices to report every shot. It is amazing how these statistics are almost instantaneously available at our fingertips at the PGA TOUR website. Tomorrow I plan to get out on the course and do some walking with the players, but today was a blast behind the scenes! Check back, I can’t wait to see what tomorrow has in store. Friday, Sept. 30th, 2011 Today I was an Honorary Observer inside the ropes walking with Bobby Clampett and Chien Soon Lu. The day started out at 10:20, the first tee time. The whole experience was excellent. I got to meet four new people, Bobby Clampett, Chien Soon Lu, Tyler, and Jim (the two score keepers). My chaperone, First Tee Coach, Paul Pfeuffer took very good care me. The whole course was unimaginably beautiful and well kept. The one single thing that could have made this experience even better was if I were smart enough to wear comfortable shoes. What impressed me most was the ability these guys have to not get upset over a poor shot. Bobby showed perseverance after a double bogey he came back with two birdies. The SAS Championship is being hosted at the Prestonwood Country Club that has just opened the Golf Learning Center where I ran into the Pythagorean theorem. Do you remember geometry where A squared plus B squared equals c squared? That is used in learning the putting triangle stance. Golf professionals Tom Ream and Andy Harris demonstrated Trackman that analyzes your club head speed, loft, ball flight, launch angle, and much more. They explained the engineering of clubs and technical analysis of the swing, stance and the weight transfer has much to do with the fitting club. Getting fitted correctly will improve your success as a golfer. This facility is any golf geeks dream toy box, you have got to experience it. In a press conference Tom Lehman said, "I think having access is - - what a benefit; this will open doors for kids. It will allow them to learn about their golf swing and match the right equipment to fit them physically." I had the opportunity to spend some time with Loren Roberts; he is very down to earth and an amazing putter. He is know as the "boss of the moss" He was kind enough to give me some helpful hints about my putting stance with eyes over the ball and to straighten my left arm. This was an eye opening experience and I have a new appreciation for the many people and varieties of jobs that are required to keep the Champions Tour running. This experience is a once in a lifetime opportunity, thanks to all who support The First Tee so that I could be a Course Reporter on the Champions Tour. -Quinn Riley, Eagle Participant, The First Tee of the Triangle Quinn Riley Quinn Riley has been involved with the First Tee program for more than 4 years. He has participated at all levels of the program in The First Tee of the Triangle and has worked hard to follow the Nine Core Values both on and off the golf course. Currently, Quinn is in the Eagle level of the program. He is also a volunteer with the first tee, teaching the younger Par and Player kids within the Triangle chapter. He attends school at Ravenscroft and is in the sixth grade. Aside from golf, Quinn enjoys playing lacrosse, soccer, swimming, basketball and hanging out with friends. .